Chairman of the syndicate Ahmad Oqla revealed the employees have outrightly rejected the salary increment that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Board of Directors approved recently, emphasizing they will continue their protest action until their demands are met. He pointed out the salary increment approved by the CSC board is not enough, considering the rising cost of living in the country.
Stressing the need to approve their proposed pay raise scheme, Oqla asserted the workers would not have gone on strike if the CSC board agreed to meet the representatives of the syndicate. “Is it logical for the government to disregard the welfare of employees in the most important facility in the country? It is embarrassing to see inappropriate decisions being taken after the five-month grace period given to the government to address the issue,” he added.
Oqla said the strike is comprehensive as it includes workers in all sectors of the administration, confirming the transactions related to humanitarian cases, passengers, blood groups, parcels of patients and the handicapped are not affected by the strike.
Meanwhile, Director of the Suliabiya Land Customs Department Mohammad Al-Sulaiti admitted the strike paralyzed their operations but they have to respect the right of the workers to fight for their legal demands.
On the other hand, MP Obaid Al-Wasmi said he attended the strike in Sulaibiya to closely follow up the new developments on the workers’ pay raise demand, especially since the government has taken enough time to settle this issue. He asked for justifications on the government’s decision to grant only 25 percent salary increase to the workers. He disclosed he will meet the finance minister in the next few days to urge him to tackle the problem quickly before the workers in other public institutions decide to go on strike as well.
Moreover, MP Abdullah Al-Barghash reaffirmed his support for the Customs workers, indicating they were supposed to go on strike three months ago but they postponed it to protect the interests of the country, especially since Al-Shimali promised to address their problems.
Also, Secretary General of the Workers Union at Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) Hussein Habib has accused the CSC board of neglecting the rights of the employees in the corporation and its subsidiaries. He also affirmed support for the protest action carried out by the Customs workers.
